Paladin
by SamNny
Summary: "The look of captured innocence written all over his face made my heart skip a beat at how truly adorable and sweet he was, while his warm smile and slightly reddened cheeks created butterflies in my stomach. Yes, he was a long ways away from that person." DaiRiku


The way he was in that moment is something I will never be able to forget. It left me absolutely speechless and wondering how I didn't notice it sooner. His confidence was fierce and his will was bold - something unimaginable. The sheer firmness of his body in place was enough to make anyone believe that he couldn't be moved, not even by the Earth itself. He no longer looked like the clumsy fourteen year-old that I'd had class with for all of these years. To me, he looked more like a brave knight-in-shining-armor, giving nothing but his best for the ones he cared about.

There had to be much more to the moment than just what I could see. Standing off to the side behind him, I was able to get a captivating view of him. His arms that looked so skinny were outstretched wide and you could easily see the definition of his muscles. It wasn't overwhelming, just present, and he looked rather capable to use those arms at any given moment.

Then there were his hands, usually so soft and quick to match up with the fact that he was an artist, they were now completely open and exposed. Those soft hands had visible calluses along the outer side where they laid against the table to draw and shade. His fingers were long and bony, but they looked like they'd make a mean fist, and being that evident would surely leave a nice mark on anyone or anything that connected with them. And yet, as stable and sturdy as they looked, I could still see that they were made for kinder things than this.

He stood completely upright, making him look even taller than he already was. His frame was lean, but not scrawny. Most people called him that, but it was obvious that he wasn't. He took care of himself very well and you could tell by his posture that he had a very strong body. His shoulder blades stuck out just a little bit and you could differentiate his chest from his torso. Had he been shirtless, I'm sure he would have had quite the definition about him. Although, it was also apparent that he didn't have six-pack abs or the body of a weightlifter, but that was perfect. He was perfect just the way he was.

His jeans hugged his long legs perfectly, giving clear view to the fact that they were the most powerful and enhanced part of him. They were well toned and thick without being excessive and unattractive. There didn't appear to be a hint of fat or boniness about his legs, just smooth muscle and soundness. The way he stood his ground without locking his knees screamed that he was unshakeable.

And then there was his face. God, I could describe the look on his face in so many ways. His jaw was locked shut, only opening to spit out his firm resolve and vow to protect me. His normally pink and soft lips weren't curled up into their usual smile, but instead they were flat in seriousness. It was a borderline frown, only more determined looking. His cheek bones were prominent; the result of his whole body being tense, and you could see just how deep his eyes were. Those large crimson orbs were now narrowed and burning with courage and vitality. The intensity that they gave off was an entirely different story. His whole demeanor screamed bold, tough, and ferocious, along with stubbornness and an air of formidableness.

It was a total character change from his relaxed and cheerful side that I always got to see. He was always the one person I could look at and be compelled to forget about my troubles and just smile. The look of captured innocence written all over his face made my heart skip a beat at how truly adorable and sweet he was, while his warm smile and slightly reddened cheeks created butterflies in my stomach. Yes, he was a long ways away from that person.

The light from the retreating sun cast shows over him, making him look that much more unbeatable and it caused my knees to shake and give out on me. I silently sunk to the ground as he stared down the punk across from him.

He was nothing special, a little bit taller and he was definitely broader, but that didn't make him stronger. He looked untrained and graceless, meaning that he would be easily overtaken by anyone with some common sense and agility. Being swift and quick would prove most helpful, but showing off a little strength never hurt. That's what it looked like, anyway. Despite the fact that he was the kindest man I'd ever met, Daisuke was never one for violence, no matter what the occasion. It didn't matter who he was protecting or what other circumstances led him into that type of situation, he would always go easy on his opponents. Even if it meant getting thrashed around a bit more or sustaining substantially more injuries to have a better outcome for everyone, he would do it in a heartbeat.

But today, he didn't look like he wanted to show that much mercy. And I suppose there were exceptions to every rule given the proper circumstances. After all, this troublemaker put his hands on me in Daisuke's presence. If it had been a gentle hand on my shoulder or a soft grip on my wrist, he wouldn't have cared. Nothing wrong with trying to get my attention, although saying my name might have helped. However, this man seemed to want more than that, because he had violently grabbed my upper arm, spun me around, and tried to force me up against a wall.

And that is how this whole mess started. When Daisuke heard me yelp and caught a glimpse of the panic in my eyes, he was before me in record time. He stood between me and my pursuer after aggressively shoving him away and outstretched his arms protectively. His demeanor changed in less than a second from my loving boyfriend to my unwavering protector.

The guy started talking some smack, calling me some rather crude and improper names. Daisuke grit his teeth, waiting for the perfect moment to tell him off. Then he went to insult him, calling him a skinny ginger with some kind of nerve. There were more obscene words to follow, but I stopped paying attention. I let my eyes drift over Daisuke and watched the rage build in his calm and collected form. He almost looked like Hiwatari with how put together he was, only he lacked the look of pure boredom or indifference. Well, a former Hiwatari, that is.

And Daisuke made his voice heard, snapping back at every comment and slander. It looked to me like he had no intention of fighting without further provocation. And with that being said, the glint in his eyes was daring the guy to come at him. As unlike Daisuke as that was, I would want to tear someone apart too if they put their hands on him. He was being quite conflicting.

And this loser must have read the same message that I did, because he made a quick dash towards us. He had every intention of ramming into Daisuke and knocking him down, eager to get to me for whatever reason. I knew what he wanted, but at that moment, I wanted to pretend that it was something else. The thought of something like that happening to me made my head spin. Not in the good way.

But that firm stance and unbreakable hold to his position kept Daisuke right where he was. The guy charged him, but Daisuke didn't even budge. He wrapped his arms around the guy's neck, locking him in place, and swiftly shoved his knee right into his gut. There was an audible groan and a pool of saliva dripped on the ground. He hit him just hard enough to make it hurt without making him cough up blood.

Then Daisuke shoved him back and watched almost amusingly as the man stumbled backwards. The shock written all over his face was priceless and I almost snickered from where I was crouched on the ground. But after he seemed to recompose himself, he wiped at his mouth, smirked, and then came charging again. It was as if he thought the result would be any different this time around.

Daisuke seemed to float across the ground as he stepped to the side, leaving me wide open for this guy. I thought my heart was going to stop right then and there until the guy came stumbling forward and then stopped. My eyes darted up and I saw that Daisuke had a nasty grip on the back of his shirt. Without any effort at all, he pulled him back and kneed him in the gut yet again. Stepping forward, he took a stance facing sideways to the both of us and then lodged his elbow right into his nose.

Blood flew in an abstract pattern in the air as he went flying back and hit the ground. Not understanding how some "pipsqueak" could hold his own so well against him, he then proceeded to hurriedly pull himself to his feet, curse, and run off. All I could think at the time was how much of a coward he had been. He broke after three hits? He really was a loser. He must have thought we were easy targets. _Really _easy targets.

And after he was out of both our sights, my eyes were once again on the redhead in front of me. It had been a long time since I had seen such reckless bravery from him. The last time must have been when Dark disappeared.

Watching him ever so patiently, I looked as his eyes lost their fire and returned to his normal bewildered stare. His shoulders slumped, his head dropped, his legs gave out, and he carelessly fell to the ground. Now his legs were crossed, hands on either side of his head, and an exaggerated sigh escaped his lips. Crawling over to him, I place a hand on his back and peered over his shoulder.

"Niwa-kun?" My voice was so quiet and his whole body twitched at the sound of his name. And then in an instant, I somehow wound up in front of him, sitting in his lap, wrapped in his arms. He hid his face from me and I guess it was pretty beat read or something. He had one arm wrapped around me and the other lazily around my shoulders, his hand locked in my hair to keep me from moving. I was about to ask him if he was alright, but he beat me to it.

"Are you alright, Riku-san?" I nodded my head against his shoulder and heard him sigh again, though this time in relief. After a few more seconds of silence, the last thing I heard before we both burst out into laughter was, "I hope I didn't look as dumb as I felt. I don't pull off confidence very well."

And then I wrapped my arms around him, too.

* * *

"A/N: Meh, another random idea that I had and wanted to finish. This is supposed to be just a cute DaiRiku fic. What's going on? Why did this happen? Where are they? Figure it out for yourself. You can imagine this happening in whatever kind of setting you want, there are just no people around. I guess I was imagining them both going to the train-cable-car-station-thingy and then some guy showed up. This was just supposed to be for detail, not much plot. I like how it turned out. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I need to write more DaiRiku stuff... Please review!"


End file.
